We hear a lot about mental health and its impact on families and children. But what about spiritual health?
One study from Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health looked at the impact of religious life on children and teens and found some surprising results. They found that children who attended weekly worship with their families reported the following:
- Higher rates of reported happiness and life satisfaction
- Less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression
- Less likely to use illicit drugs
- Less likely to engage in early sex
These same respondents also reported feeling more of a sense of mission and purpose than their non-church going peers, and were more likely to embrace volunteering.
Children who attended weekly worship were also found to have an academic advantage over their non-churched peers. Studies showed that students who attended weekly worship:
- Had higher GPAs
- Scored higher on standardized tests
- Were less likely to be held back a grade
- Were more likely to achieve a bachelor’s degree in college
We spoke with leaders from four different religions about how families can integrate faith into their lives, if they choose to do so.
Incorporating faith into daily life
Has your faith and spiritual life taken a back seat to your busy calendar? Maybe it’s time to assess your family’s spiritual health. No matter what your faith practices and religious affiliations may be, the benefits of finding community in these traditions can have a positive impact on parents and children alike. You may want to get the family back into weekly worship, prayer and devotions, but you just don’t know where to start.
We spoke with faith leaders in Northwest Ohio to explore strategies for creating a spiritual foundation in the home.
Commit to worshiping and serving together
“Families can breathe fresh life into their faith by simply making God part of their everyday rhythms again, praying together at meals or bedtime, talking about blessings and challenges, and making church a priority each week,” Daniel Rose, Associate Pastor at Cedar Creek Church in Perrysburg, said.
Commit to attending service
“If a family is looking to get back into worship, the best place to start is just by showing up. Pick one service at your local church and commit to attending together.”
Rose offered a few ways that families can boost their spiritual health:
- Plug into small groups, kids programs, or serving opportunities that help build a strong sense of purpose.
- Set aside one night a week for a family devotion or faith-based conversation.
- Serve together once a month in the church or community.
- Encourage each other to memorize Scripture or pray for friends in need.
Physical and spiritual
“Because humans are a composite of body and soul, both their physical and spiritual natures should be developed in order to become who they were created to be in light of their eternal destination,” Denise Brennan, Director of Catechetical Formation for the Toledo Diocese of the Catholic church, said.
“Parents are their children’s first and primary educators. In response to the love of their Creator, they have an inherent responsibility to both live and learn their faith and to pass along the fullness of faith to their children.”
Brennan said that parents can model their faith in the everyday life of the home, and feels that organized instruction can begin when children are developmentally ready, similar to academics.
Brennan offers some ways that families can incorporate faith into their daily lives:
- Praying together, attending mass as a family, and talking about faith in everyday moments
- Celebrate liturgical seasons
- Practice works of charity
- Create routines of forgiveness, gratitude and service
“Over time, these small acts form the home into a ‘domestic church’, where faith is not only taught, but lived and handed on with joy.”
“Every day is a good day to begin a journey of faith,” she said.
Life’s big questions
“I believe having a strong foundation in a religious tradition is important because it offers families a place to create community and have a framework for exploring life’s big questions,” Rabbi Lisa Delson said. “Judaism offers, not only, a deep well of belief, but also practices that bring the family together.”
“At around ages two to three, children begin asking big questions, particularly about the nature of life and the living things they see around them. Their spiritual world is rich. Every day contains new experiences and new things to learn,” Delson said.
“As children, they already practice ‘radical amazement’, an idea taught by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. At our synagogue, Jewish education begins with babies and toddlers, along with their parents at a program called Temple Tots.”
Delson said that incorporating faith into the daily rhythms is a good place to start.
“In Jewish tradition, we have a particular blessing for every experience throughout the day. Thanking God upon waking in the morning, saying a simple blessing before eating a meal. Taking time to notice aspects of our lives that would otherwise go unnoticed is an act of faith itself,” Delson said. “The benefits of doing so allow the family to have a shared goal in experiencing the world. When we show gratitude for our food, our environment, the people we love, we are drawing closer to what is important in our lives.”
A daily practice
“Faith formation is important because it will educate children about how they should practice their religion properly and make them aware of their faith,” Imam Brahim Dejmaa, the Religious Leader at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo.
Daily prayers are an important part of the Islamic faith. “Islam is a daily practice and we have 5 prayers that start from early morning to the late night. We have many other practices like fasting during the month of Ramadan or the weekly Friday prayer, where we go to mosque for worship.”
Imam Brahim Dejmaa said that religious instruction in the Muslim faith begins at age seven. “The Prophet Muhammad, in a beautiful statement, instructed us to start teaching our children their faith at the age of seven.”
Faith formation can help families feel more connected to their communities as they worship and serve together.
“Islam is not only a belief between god and man, but is a way of life that covers every aspect of living. The benefit of this practice is that it builds a community that supports each other under the worship of god.”
